Peace Corps News

Have French Atomic Tests in the Pacific put Peace Corps Volunteers at Risk?

Samoa RPCV Michael L. Driscoll writes: "In the Summers of 1973-1974, the French did 12 Atomic Tests in French Polynesian atolls, in the atmosphere, at elevations of around 800 to 1200 feet in the air. I served in Western Samoa, from February 19, 1973 until November 14, 1974, as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I went through the 3 months of Peace Corps Training in country, Western Samoa, and upon graduation, was assigned the the Department of Education, and the Teachers Training College, in Apia, Western Samoa, as a Math Instructor. I was in Group 11. As I am writing this today, I am not able to say with certainty, that we were aware of the French doing their Atomic Testing in the French Polynesian Islands, to our West and South. I do know that I had some unexplained skin issues that came to my attention in the Fall, 1974, and when I went to the Peace Corps Nurse, she could not tell me what it was on my stomach, arms, and legs. The appearance was concentric, and just red circles, and while I was in the hot and humid climate of Western Samoa, the condition was that if one were to put a finger on my stomach, which had a redness and exposed blood vessels, about 2" in diameter, the finger would show blood on the end of it."

"For 30 years I thought that I had psoriasis; but, in May, 2004, I went to a dermatologist in Spokane, Washington, and he said I had EAC, Erthyma Annulare Centrifugum, and also said that the doctor in 1974 probably didn't know about EAC, as it has some characteristics like psoriasis. I also developed a thyroid condition in 1999, and have been taking a morning thryoid pill since, and will for the rest of my life, take this 75 mg Synthroid pill."

"I personally believe it was the French Atomic Tests that were putting me and all of the other Pacific Islanders at risk, as these tests were in the atmosphere. When I was in Western Samoa, the population was about 150,000 Samoans, of which about 3500 caucasions and other nationalities were present on the Islands. I am unaware of anyone serving in the Peace Corps at the time, nor am I aware of any Samoans, who were experiencing skin issues while I was, when I was there in 1973-1974. There are many thousands of Islanders, in a radius of 1000 or more miles from the French Polynesian atolls, that may be having health issues."

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Chris Shays Loses Election in Connecticut after 21 Years in Congress

Chris Shays took the stage at the Norwalk Inn at 9:45 p.m., accompanied by his wife, Betsi, and their daughter, Jeramy.  "My two-year contract has not been renewed. No one likes being told someone else is taking their place, so there are disappointments," a composed Shays told his supporters in a concession speech at 9:45 p.m. "There are absolutely no regrets whatsoever."  Shays apologized for not bringing home a victory, but told his supporters that he was proud of completing his last congressional campaign without a single negative ad.  Shays lingered until nearly midnight, offering his thanks and making his goodbyes.  "I want it understood: My days of running for public office are over," Shays said. 

Winner Jim Himes called Shays "a man who has stood for many things," often "against his party," and the district owes him "a tremendous debt."  "He's a man of courage of grace, and I respect enormously the fact that this very talented man chose to devote his life to public service. That's something that many, many people who don't take that path should respect him for." Congressman Chris Shays of Connecticut served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Fiji in the 1960's.

PCOL Comment:  We are sorry for the loss of Republican moderate Chris Shays' Congressional seat in the Obama landslide of 2008.  Shays is a true independent thinker and as a returned volunteer has been one of the strongest supporters of the Peace Corps during his 21 years in Congress.  Shays has been a selfless public servant who was never afraid to speak out for what he believed and we wish him every success in his future. He will be missed.

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Christopher Shays calls for the creation of a National Public Service Academy

Christopher Shays calls for the creation of a National Public Service Academy
In a press conference with Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Arlen Specter, R-Penn., Shays will propose legislation commissioning the U.S. Public Service Academy. The institution would offer a free college education for young people who agree to five years of public service. "Just like we have military academies to create military leaders, we'd like to have an academy of public service [for people who] have devoted their education to this concept," Shays said in an interview. The academy would prepare young Americans for public service positions in fields including education, the environment, health care, foreign policy and law enforcement. Academy students would earn four-year bachelors of arts or bachelors of science degrees. Unique programs proposed include a mandatory junior year abroad and summer learning programs focusing on emergency response or military training. Congressman Chris Shays of Connecticut served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Fiji in the 1960's.  Read more.

Stephen Barr writes: A Push to Create a Fresh Class of Public Servants
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Reps. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) re-introduced legislation to create a U.S. Public Service Academy. A version introduced last September was too late for any congressional action, but Clinton and Shays promised to try to get the votes for passage this year. Chris Myers Asch and Shawn Raymond, who served in AmeriCorps together in Mississippi, came up with the idea for the academy after seeing friends shy away from government careers because of school debts or because they could not see themselves working in a large bureaucracy. "We are not getting people to come into public service," Moran said, in part because the cost of higher education steers young people to more lucrative jobs in the private sector. Moran said the academy is urgently needed because it would help fill staffing gaps in agencies created over the next decade as more federal employees retire.  Read more.

Pitching a Public Service Academy
When Shawn Raymond and Chris Myers Asch finished their two-year Teach For America assignments, they weren’t ready to leave public education behind. With little capital and lofty aspirations, the two started the nonprofit Sunflower County Freedom Project, which provides after-school mentoring and academic tutoring to hundreds of low-income students. Raymond, a Houston lawyer, and Asch, 33, executive director of the Sunflower Country Freedom Project, determined there was a need for a centralized public service academy after noticing a post-9/11 spike in student interest in social service projects. Raymond said both he and Asch could afford to live on a teacher’s salary while in Teach For America, but that many students emerge from college with major loans. “The problem is that so many kids are priced out of doing the kind of things that are good for our country because they owe so much money by the time they are done,” Raymond said. “Our point is, why not prioritize service and make the opportunities available to everyone.” That translates into what Raymond and Asch hope would be a four-year, all-expenses-paid education, courtesy of the federal government. They estimate the annual operating budget to be about $205 million (based on calculations that the median per student expenditure at state universities is about $40,000 each year).

Parts of the curriculum would look similar to a traditional liberal arts program, with graduates earning a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree. There are also service-oriented components to the education. Each summer, students would be enrolled in a different structured learning program (emergency response training and an armed forces internship, for instance). They would likely major in a traditional subject and be required to take courses in foreign languages and international relations – all in preparation for a junior year abroad. Raymond said he would like to see students choose a public service concentration – such as health care, education or law enforcement – and serve in that field after graduation. The current plan calls for the university to place graduates in jobs based on the students’ areas of interest and on regional employment needs.  Read more.

Read more about the proposal to create a National Service Academy.

All Peace Corps Volunteers in Fiji are Safe

All Volunteers in Fiji are Safe and Accounted for
All Volunteers in Fiji are safe and accounted for. The Peace Corps is monitoring the situation very closely. Volunteers are on standfast but there are no plans for evacuation at this time. Peace Corps is working closely with the US embassy and with host country partners to monitor the situation. Peace Corps is confident that volunteers are not in harm's way. The military seized control of Fiji on December 5 after weeks of threats. Subscribe to our news feed for the latest breaking news.